Vehicle suspension systems include bushing assemblies that are mounted between a suspension beam component and an axle housing. Typically, each bushing assembly includes an inner sleeve, an outer sleeve, and a piece of urethane or rubber that is positioned between the inner and outer sleeves. The inner sleeve is supported on a pin with the outer sleeve surrounding an outer circumferential surface of the rubber sleeve.
In order to accommodate axial loading, the bushing assembly has traditionally required a large single piece of rubber or urethane between the inner and outer sleeves. This traditional configuration is expensive and often does not provide sufficient conical compliance during vehicle operation. Further, this configuration has a tendency to experience high pre-loads, which is undesirable.
Thus, there is a need for a low-cost bushing assembly that reduces pre-loads, and which provides sufficient axial loading while optimizing conical compliance, in addition to overcoming the other deficiencies in the prior art.